Infernal Realm. Ziyang Prefecture, Redbud Continent.
Linley had been gravely wounded by Lirmon's ultimate attack.
Had he not been equipped with a full set of defensive divine artifacts and used a drop of Sovereign power, he would've already perished under that strike.
Even so, his current condition was extremely dire.
Inside the metallic lifeform, Reyna was using Life-type divine power to nourish his nearly collapsing physical body.
Lina was protecting his soul with her Soulforce. Yet, Linley's soul continued to collapse.
Unfortunately, he had no Soulstones—thus, no way to nourish his soul.
Sadius had traveled to the Amethyst Mountain Range precisely to seek a few Soulstones from the Redbud Sovereign to protect his family.
But before he could even ask, something happened to his son, Linley.
"Brother Luoshen, Linley will be okay, right?" Eunice was clearly worried. She hated how weak she was—unable to help at all and only dragging others down.
"He'll pull through. Trust in Linley. Heaven watches over the righteous." Luoshen had watched Linley grow up. Though they did not share the same mother, the two brothers had always fought side by side and shared a deep bond. Naturally, he hoped Linley would survive.
Just as Lina was preparing to fly Linley south to Extreme Intent City in search of powerful help—
A translucent, illusory human face appeared within the metallic lifeform.
"Lina, fly toward the Amethyst Mountains. I've brought Sadius to find you," the face said.
Lina instantly felt hope rise within her.
She recognized the face—it was a Sovereign's. It was merely a miniature projection of the Sovereign's enormous face, reduced countless times to allow for communication.
The metallic lifeform changed course.
"Son, hold on! The mighty Sovereign is on the way to save you!" she cried.
The Sovereign's flying speed was astonishing, and Ziyang Prefecture bordered the Amethyst Mountains.
Within half a day, the Redbud Sovereign arrived at the metallic lifeform she had been monitoring with her divine sense.
"Open the cabin door," the Sovereign instructed via divine sense.
Immediately, the metallic lifeform opened midair. A moment later, the Redbud Sovereign and Sadius flew inside.
Within the main cabin of the metallic lifeform, Linley lay on a metallic bed at the center. Lina and Reyna were by his side, doing all they could to heal him.
"Lina, Reyna—how is Linley?" Sadius asked with concern.
"His body has stopped collapsing. As long as we continue to infuse him with Life-type divine power, he should recover in time," Reyna replied.
"Sadius, I beg you…you must save Linley!" Lina cried, breaking down in tears before him.
This was her only son. For years, she had focused solely on cultivation.
Truthfully, she had never fully accepted Sadius. Their union back then had been so sudden.
All these years, it was only for her son's sake that she persuaded herself that being with Sadius was alright.
Her son Linley was her emotional anchor.
Now that his life hung by a thread, how could she not panic? How could she not weep?
Sadius didn't know how to comfort her.
"Lina, the Sovereign will definitely save Linley."
Lina clutched at that hope like a drowning woman grasping for air. She turned to the purple-robed noblewoman standing nearby.
She had never seen the Redbud Sovereign's true appearance, but now, she knew—it could only be her.
"O great Sovereign, I beg of you—please save my son!"
Just as she was about to kneel, the Redbud Sovereign stepped forward and supported her.
"Don't worry. I'll do everything I can."
Sadius helped steady Lina as well.
The Redbud Sovereign approached Linley and probed his condition with her divine sense.
"His soul is severely collapsing. He may fully perish within a single day."
This statement nearly caused Lina to faint.
"If we want to save him, I'll have to use my Soulstone…and even then, there's no guarantee of success."
Sadius' heart tensed. That Soulstone…it was the most precious one—the very one the Redbud Sovereign had nurtured for countless years. Her treasure. Its importance rivaled the Netherworld Heart of the Redbud of Death. Though inferior in power, it held the same level of importance in her heart.
"Moreover, he possesses four divine clones. If a soul mutation occurs… his survival chances are nearly zero. Across all creation, only two individuals have survived triple-element soul mutations. No one has ever survived a four-element soul mutation."
"My lady…no matter what, I beg you—save my son!"
"Sadius, you once saved my life. I will do everything in my power to save your son. But even if I can't save him, I hope you won't hold it against me."
"Thank you, my lady."
The Redbud Sovereign waved her hand. A massive Soulstone flew from her body.
She then released her ownership of it.
Immediately, her aura weakened greatly.
"Force out a drop of Linley's blood. Once he bonds with the Soulstone, it will automatically begin to nourish his soul."
Without hesitation, Sadius pricked Linley's finger, drawing a drop of blood and placing it on the Soulstone.
The moment it made contact, the Soulstone completed the bonding process and shot into Linley's body.
It settled into his spiritual sea and released waves of pure Soulforce, beginning to nourish Linley's nearly destroyed soul.
Gradually, a tug-of-war began between collapse and nourishment.
The rate of soul collapse slowed.
Lina witnessed this and was overjoyed.
"We can't relax yet," the Sovereign warned. "The rate of collapse is reduced, but only Linley's own willpower can truly halt the breakdown."
"Linley will be fine. I believe in him," Sadius said, embracing Lina to comfort her.
The metallic lifeform continued flying toward the Amethyst Mountains. Sadius had decided to bring them deep into the mountain range to wait quietly for Linley's recovery.
But inside, his heart was anything but calm.
He deeply cared for Linley—after all, that was his son.
Yet he couldn't help wondering: Could this soul mutation of Linley's be the work of that one?
Sadius dared not even speak that one's name. In the vast universe, there was nothing hidden from him.
Why hadn't he erased Sadius when he transmigrated?
The more he thought, the more terrifying the possibilities. Sadius forced himself to stop.
All he could hope for now was Linley's recovery.
If Linley truly had a four-element soul mutation…
Sadius vowed to seek even greater opportunities for Linley.
In the original story, Linley had fused with three lower-level Sovereign Sparks and still wasn't a match for Orloff.
If he hadn't refined a fourth Sovereign Spark to transcend, he definitely would have been slain.
If Linley's mutation wasn't of the four elemental essences—earth, fire, water, and wind—but some arbitrary four-element combination, even refining four lower-level Sovereign Sparks might not make him Orloff's equal.
Thus, Sadius resolved:
He must acquire higher-tier Sovereign Sparks for Linley. At least mid-level ones. Only then would Linley have a chance to surpass Orloff and no longer live under the shadow of fear.
What Sadius didn't know was that this decision—this single thought—would someday trigger a cataclysmic war among the Sovereigns.